By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple.
Parallel translations
- WEB But it was so, that in the twenty-third year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the damage to the house.
- KJV But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
- NKJV Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple.
- NASB But it came about that in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not repaired any damage to the house.
- NLT But by the twenty-third year of Joash’s reign, the priests still had not repaired the Temple.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
By the twenty-third year of Joash, the priests still had not repaired the temple. The project stalls under the original plan.
Overview
After many years the needed repairs remain undone, exposing a failure in the collection system. The delay does not necessarily imply corruption but at least neglect or impracticality. The stalled work prompts the king to seek a better method, showing the importance of wise stewardship of resources dedicated to God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Mal 1:10“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.
- Phil 2:21For all the others look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
- 2 Chr 29:34However, since there were not enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests had been consecrated. For the Levites had been more diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.
- 1 Sam 2:29–30Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
- Isa 56:10–12Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
- 1 Pet 5:2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 12:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.